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Australian Journal of Psychology, Vol. 60, No. 3, December 2008, pp. 127134.

Independent self-construal, self-reflection, and self-rumination: A path

model for predicting happiness

IRINA ELLIOTT1 & SUZANNE COKER2

1

Queensland Police Service, Central Region Office, Rockhampton, and 2Central Queensland University, School of Psychology
and Sociology, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia

Abstract
A construal theory of happiness emphasises the mediating impact of cognitive and motivational processes on the individuals
perceptions of their happiness. This study investigated a path model with the two cognitive variables, self-reflection and selfrumination as mediating factors between an independent self-construal and subjective happiness. One hundred and twenty
three participants completed a questionnaire designed to measure subjective happiness, independent self-construal, selfreflection, and self-rumination. Individuals propensity to self-reflect and self-ruminate was not found to be affected by an
independent self-construal. A higher independent self-construal was associated with greater happiness. The results also
indicated that self-reflection has the potential to both increase and decrease (when mediated by self-rumination) subjective
happiness. This study suggests that although meaningful self-reflection may be beneficial for individuals who do not enjoy
high levels of happiness, the perils of self-reflection are that it may trigger self-rumination which has detrimental
consequences for happiness.

The pursuit of happiness is inherent to human

existence. Recently, research on happiness has been
revitalised by the emergence of positive psychology
with its focus on the resilience of human nature
(Sheldon & King, 2001). The general consensus is
that although to some degree objective situational
factors (such as income, health, age, and marital
status) influence peoples perceptions of their happiness, ultimately, happiness is a subjective phenomenon, with subjective feelings, thoughts, perceptions,
and evaluations of the situation even more important
than the situation itself (Argyle, 2001; Diener, Suh,
Lucas, & Smith, 1999; Heller, Watson, & Ilies, 2004;
Myers, 2000).
A construal theory of happiness
The subjective perspective on happiness is reflected
in one of the recent developments in research on
happiness, a construal theory. According to a
construal theory, happiness is determined by what
people make of their experiences; that is, the way
they construe and interpret the world around them

(Lyubomirsky, 2001). In this respect, a construal

theory of happiness emphasises the role of hedonically relevant cognitive and motivational processes as
mediating the effects of person and situation factors
on the perception of happiness.
Hedonically relevant cognitive and motivational
processes (e.g., social comparison, dissonance
reduction, self-reflection, and self-rumination) are
those which lead to hedonic consequences; that is,
they have the potential to either promote or
undermine a positive view of the self. For example,
the positive association between self-rumination
(dwelling on the negative in relation to the self)
and depressed mood is a well-documented phenomenon (Nolen-Hoeksema, McBride, & Larson,
1997; Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1993; NolenHoeksema, Parker, & Larson, 1994). From the
perspective of a construal theory, self-rumination
may be detrimental to happiness as focusing on the
negative in relation to the self may detract from a
positive view of the self, which, in turn, may
undermine the individuals perceptions of their
happiness.

Correspondence: Irina Elliott, Queensland Police Service, Central Region Office, Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
E-mail: [email protected]
ISSN 0004-9530 print/ISSN 1742-9536 online The Australian Psychological Society Ltd
Published by Taylor & Francis
DOI: 10.1080/00049530701447368

128

I. Elliott & S. Coker

Similarly, happy individuals have been found to be

less prone to engage in self-reflection, or to think
about and analyse ones thoughts, feelings, and
outcomes of their actions (Lyubomirsky, 2001).
Moreover, in experimental studies involving individuals who display extremely high or extremely low
levels of happiness, Lyubomirsky and Ross (1999)
demonstrated that when happy people were induced
to self-reflect, their behaviour matched the behaviour
of unhappy individuals, whereas when unhappy
individuals were prevented from engaging in selfreflection, their behaviour matched the behaviour of
happy people. This suggests that similar to the
hedonic consequences of self-rumination mentioned
above, the hedonic consequences of self-reflection
may be detrimental to the individuals perceptions of
their happiness.
The question raised in this study is which
personality characteristics may predispose people to
self-reflect or self-ruminate. The answer to this
question may reside in differences between individuals in terms of how they see themselves (independent from others or connected to others). These
differences are referred to as the distinction between
independent and interdependent self-construals
(Markus & Kitayama, 1991).
Independent versus interdependent self-construals
According to Markus and Kitayama (1991), those
with an independent self-construal define themselves
in terms of internal attributes such as traits, abilities,
values, and preferences. In contrast, those with an
interdependent self-construal define themselves in
terms of their relationships with others. Markus and
Kitayama argued that differences between independent and interdependent self-concepts lead to different consequences for a number of cognitive and
motivational processes. Subsequent research not only
supported this assumption (Choi, Nisbett, &
Norenzayan, 1999; Kurman, 2002; Poasa,
Mallinckrodt, & Suzuki, 2000) but also indicated that
these differences in cognitive and motivational
processes may be related to subjective well-being
(Cross, Gore, & Morris, 2003; Kwan & Bond, 1997).
This suggests that the distinction between independent and interdependent self-construals can be a
source of individual differences in cognitive and
motivational processes, which, in turn, may influence
individual differences in happiness. From the perspective of a construal theory, the mediating impact
of cognitive and motivational processes on happiness
is related to the hedonic consequences of these
processes for the individuals self-esteem.
In this respect, the present study was designed to
investigate the negative hedonic consequences associated with the two cognitive variables, self-reflection

and self-rumination as mediating factors between an

independent self-construal and happiness. Another
aim of this study was to assess the direct and indirect
influences of self-reflection on subjective happiness.
For these purposes a path model as presented in
Figure 1 was constructed.
Path model and hypotheses
Markus and Kitayama (1991) argued that although
independent and interdependent self-construals are
predominant in individualistic and collectivistic
cultures, respectively, individuals within a given
society can be less or more independent or interdependent. (The distinction between individualistic
and collectivistic societies refers to the extent to
which the value of the individual takes precedence
over, or is sacrificed to the needs of others.)
Moreover, Hackman, Ellis, Johnson, and Staley
(1999) demonstrated that independent and interdependent self-construal orientations are two separate constructs and suggested that the predictive
capacities of these two variables should be investigated separately.
Markus and Kitayama (1991) argued that for those
with an independent self-construal knowledge about
the self is more important and elaborated than
knowledge about the other; ones internal abilities,
feelings, and thoughts are therefore highly accessible
in memory. Moreover, for those with an independent
self-construal, in comparison to those with an
interdependent self-construal, self-esteem is based
on internal attributes, which facilitates motivation to
obtain more self-knowledge. This suggests that
individuals with a highly developed independent
self-construal may be more prone to focus on
themselves when reflecting on their life. For example, in Batson, Fultz, Schoenrade, and Paduanos
(1987) study, the shift in perception of pro-social
behaviour as less altruistic as a result of self-reflection
was greater for individuals who emphasised the
importance of self-knowledge over relationships with
others. Therefore, a higher level of an independent
self-construal as an individual variable may lead to
greater self-reflection.
Markus and Kitayama (1991) point out
that although people with both self-construals are

Figure 1. Path model predicting subjective happiness

Self-construal and happiness

motivated to maintain a positive view of the self, they
employ different strategies to do so. For those with
an independent construal a positive view of the self
involves seeking information that enhances internal
attributes as their self-esteem is based on an ability to
express inner qualities. In contrast, having selfattributes that are more positive should be less
central to the interdependent self, as the self-esteem
of those with the interdependent self is based on the
ability to fit in and to maintain harmony in relationships with others. This suggests that individuals with
a highly developed independent self-construal will be
motivated to avoid dwelling on the negative in
relation to the self. Therefore, a higher level of an
independent self-construal as an individual variable
may lead to less self-rumination.
The role of the self-attentive process (the propensity to attend to ones thoughts and feelings) in
psychological well-being appears to be controversial
in research literature (Trapnell & Campbell, 1999).
On the one hand, studies indicate that the selfattentive process promotes greater self-awareness
and more accurate self-knowledge (Hixon & Swann,
1993), which is considered essential for psychological growth. On the other hand, the self-attentive
process has been found to be associated with greater
levels of depression, anxiety, and neuroticism
(Joireman, 2004). Trapnell and Campbell (1999)
labelled these contradictory findings as the selfabsorption paradox (p. 286). According to Trapnell
and Campbell, the self-absorption paradox can
be resolved by attributing negative and positive
outcomes of the self-attentive process to two
independent factors within the self-attentive process,
rumination and reflection, respectively.
Attributing clear-cut positive outcomes to selfreflection, however, contradicts the findings of
experimental studies on happiness mentioned above.
In addition, Batson et al. (1987) demonstrated that
self-reflection can undermine altruistic behaviour.
Moreover, the clear-cut independence of reflective
and ruminative processes appears to be questionable
considering that in a number of experimental studies
connecting rumination and psychological well-being,
self-rumination was induced through generic selfreflection (e.g., Lyubomirsky & Nolen-Hoeksema,
1993). In a similar vein, a study reported by NolenHoeksema et al. (1997) suggests a possible causal
link between self-reflection, self-rumination, and
psychological well-being, with self-reflection leading
to self-rumination over time and as a result to greater
depressed mood. Therefore, greater self-reflection
may be associated with greater self-rumination.
Thus, based on the distinction between independent and interdependent self-construals and
previous research associating self-reflection and selfrumination with subjective happiness and well-being,

129

it was hypothesised that: (a) a higher independent

self-construal would be associated with greater selfreflection and less self-rumination, (b) greater
self-reflection would be associated with greater selfrumination and less happiness, and (c) greater selfrumination would lead to less happiness.

Method
Participants
Participants were 123 residents of Rockhampton in
Central Queensland (female, n 87; male, n 34;
missing, n 2). Participants ranged in age from 18
82 years (M 38.50, SD 15.31). Table I presents
the age group, education level attained, marital
status, and income level of the participants.
Materials
The Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS; Lyubomirsky &
Lepper, 1999) assesses the extent to which individuals consider themselves happy and consists of four
items with 7-point Likert type response formats.
Table I. Demographic data of participants
Demographic variable
Age
18 24 years
25 44 years
45 64 years
65 years and over
Missing
Gender
Males
Females
Missing
Education
Primary school
1 2 years secondary school
3 4 years secondary school
5 6 years secondary school
Technical/trade
Tertiary
Missing
Marital status
Single
Married
De facto
Separated
Divorced
Widowed
Income(per year)
Less than $10,000
$10,001 $20,000
$20,001 $30,000
$30,001 $40,000
$40,001 $50,000
$50,001 $60,000
More than $60,000
Missing

24.4
35.0
35.8
3.3
1.6

30
43
44
4
2

27.7
70.7
1.6

34
87
2

2.4
5.7
22.8
19.5
13.0
34.1
2.4

3
7
28
24
16
42
3

32.5
39.0
8.1
4.9
13.8
1.6

40
48
10
6
17
2

22.0
19.5
15.4
15.4
4.1
4.9
17.9
0.8

27
24
19
19
5
6
22
1

131

Self-construal and happiness

themselves, and also to ask their associates to
participate in the study. The overall return rate for
the 200 questionnaires distributed was 65%, with
123 questionnaires (94.62%) out of the total 130
questionnaires returned being employed in the
analysis. (The data of seven respondents were not
included in the analysis due to a large number of
missing values.)

Results
Preliminary analyses
Means and standard deviations of the four research
variables are presented in Table II. The mean
of subjective happiness (M 4.90, SD 0.99) in this
sample is lower than the mean reported by
Lyubomirsky and Ross (1999) in a US high school
sample (M 6.11, SD 0.78) for individuals who
were classified as extremely happy individuals.
Participants gender, level of income, marital status,
educational level, and age group had no significant
effect on subjective happiness. The results of the
reliability analyses indicated that all four measures
had acceptable levels of internal consistency (See
Materials subsection for Cronbachs alphas).
Intercorrelations among the four research variables
were analysed to safeguard the validity of regression
analysis in case of multicollinearity, that is, highly
correlated independent variables. The results from
the correlational analyses are presented in Table III.
In terms of the three independent variables, the
results showed only one significant low bivariate
correlation: self-reflection/self-rumination .31, indicating that these variables may be somewhat
interrelated but still represent distinct constructs.
In addition, significant low correlations were
found among subjective happiness/independent selfconstrual .23 and subjective happiness/selfrumination 7.31.
Path analysis
As preliminary analyses indicated a significant
correlation between independent self-construal and
subjective happiness, a path connecting independent
self-construal and subjective happiness was added
to the hypothesised model presented in Figure 1.
In order to investigate whether independent selfconstrual correlates with subjective happiness because of the influence of the cognitive variables
self-reflection and self-rumination, or whether
independent self-construal, self-reflection, and selfrumination have an independent influence on subjective happiness, a path analysis was conducted.
Path analysis is a method in which a causal theory
and the statistical technique of multiple regression

combine to assess direct and indirect influences

between the variables of interest (Ho, 2006). To
estimate the direction and magnitude of the paths in
the model presented in Figure 1 and to test the three
research hypotheses, a series of three regression
analyses were carried out. Figure 2 presents the path
model with the estimated regression coefficients
(Beta values) associated with the hypothesised paths.
The results showed that independent self-construal had only a direct effect on subjective happiness
(b .21). Self-reflection had a direct effect on
subjective happiness (b .25) and an indirect effect
through self-rumination (path .31 6 7.38). To
estimate whether the indirect effect was significant,
an online application of the Sobel test developed by
Preacher and Leonardelli (2001) was used. The
results indicated the significant mediating role of
self-rumination in the relation between self-reflection
and subjective happiness (Sobel test statistic
72.75, p 5 .01). The three predictor variables
accounted for 19.80% of the variance in subjective
happiness (p 5 .05), with self-rumination being
the strongest predictor of subjective happiness
accounting for 9.60% of the total variance
(p 5 .001). Self-reflection was a significant predictor
of self-rumination accounting for 9.40% of the
variance (p 5 .01).

Table II. Means and standard deviations of research variables

Variable

Mean

SD

Subjective happiness
Independent self-construal
Self-reflection
Self-rumination

4.90
4.97
4.25
3.48

0.99
0.55
0.75
1.04

Table III. Intercorrelations between research variables

Variable
1.
2.
3.
4.

Independent self-construal
Subjective happiness
Self-reflection
Self-rumination

.23*
.00
7.06

.14
7.31***

.31**

*p 5 .05, **p 5 .01, ***p 5 .001.

Figure 2. Standardised regression coefficients for the path model

predicting subjective happiness

Self-construal and happiness

Thus, future research should explore the possibility
of mediating factors operating between self-reflection
and self-rumination.
Conclusion
This study provides empirical support for a construal
theory of happiness in that individual differences in
hedonically relevant cognitive processes of selfreflection and self-rumination exert a significant
influence on the individuals perception of subjective
happiness. The individuals propensity to self-reflect
or self-ruminate, however, was not found to be
affected by an independent self-construal as had
been predicted based on the independent versus
interdependent self-construal theoretical framework.
The results of this study suggest that meaningful
self-reflection may be beneficial for people who do
not enjoy high levels of happiness. Although selfreflection has the potential to increase happiness, this
study highlights the perils of self-reflection in that it
may trigger self-rumination with its detrimental consequences for happiness. Finally, the discovery of the
direct influence of an independent self-construal on
subjective happiness provides fuel for future researchers and innovators in search of more comprehensive
structural models for predicting happiness.
Acknowledgements
This study was conducted by the first author under
the supervision of the co-author in partial fulfillment
of the requirements of a Bachelor of Psychology. The
first author wishes to thank Professor Kevin Ronan at
Central Queensland University for his support over
the period in which this article was written, Margaret
Kirkwood, Desley Stehbens, Julie Mann, and Bruce
Elliott for their contribution to data collection for
this study.

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